UFC 328's Tatsuro Taira: "We Have to Prove Who's the Real Champion"

"“It's not easy, but my team always supported me, so my supporters, my friends were flying all the way from Okinawa to watch my fight,” noted Taira on Wednesday. “The postponement was tough for them.”"

"Van, in his own media day appearance on Wednesday, suggested that the UFC 328 co-main event was the biggest ever for Asian fight fans, given both champ and challenger are Asian-born: Van in Myanmar, Taira in Japan."

"Taira agrees with that assessment. “It's very important, this fight, for Asia. I think we have to improve more, and simply want to spread more of the UFC to Japan and Asia,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press."

"As for Van's win over Alexandre Pantoja, which came early in their fight last December when the champ went down due to injury, Taira suggest that given the circumstances, “we have to prove who's the real champion [in] this fight.”"

Tatsuro Taira will fight Joshua Van for flyweight championship gold at UFC 328 in Newark. The bout was originally scheduled for UFC 327 in Miami but was postponed after Van withdrew due to injury, forcing supporters to change travel plans from Miami to Newark. Taira said his team and friends supported him and that the postponement was difficult for fans traveling from Okinawa. Van described UFC 328 as a major moment for Asian fight fans because both fighters are Asian-born. Taira agreed and emphasized the importance of spreading the UFC across Japan and Asia. After Van’s win over Alexandre Pantoja last December ended early due to injury, Taira said the fight must prove who the real champion is. If he wins, Taira wants to defend against Pantoja first.

Read at Cageside Press